Press Kit PRESS KITJanuary 31, 2019 To the Orcas, with Love !1 Press Kit January 31, 2019 Synopsis 3 Directors Statement 4 Production Notes 6 Film Credits 7 Meet the Cast 8 Fact Sheets 13 To the Orcas, with Love !2 Press Kit January 31, 2019 Synopsis What we do to nature, we do to ourselves. A filmmaker’s relationship with orcas inspires her to restore a loving relationship with herself and this remarkable planet. Stories of personal connections with orcas, beautiful cinematography featuring B.C’s resident orcas, and an evocative soundscape composed by Jeff Rona provide an uplifting contrast to the environmental challenges we face. Inspired by elders including environmentalist and CBC Broadcaster, David Suzuki, whale researchers Alexandra Morton and Paul Spong, totem carver Wayne Alfred, and lifelong resident of the Broughton archipelago Billy Proctor, this film is anchored by Rob Stewart’s invitation to rise up and create the world we dream for ourselves. Viewers will come to understand the importance of the personal choices we make; it becomes clear that what we do to nature, we do to ourselves. “I think the message of environmentalism is that everything is connected. Whatever we do carries responsibilities.” DAVID SUZUKI IN TO THE ORCAS, WITH LOVE To the Orcas, with Love !3 Press Kit January 31, 2019 Directors Statement I was first fascinated by orcas as a child, when I read the book “ Siwiti – A Whale’s Story” by Alexandra Morton. Later, Free Willy became my favourite movie starring Keiko the killer whale. I would watch this movie on repeat as a child and I could not get enough watching the killer whale. Meeting Rob Stewart changed my life. Rob Stewart was a mentor for me. His film, Sharkwater inspired me as a filmmaker. As a student at Sheridan college, in the Advanced TV and Film Program, I interned with Rob Stewart’s film production company, Sharkwater Productions for a month in 2011. Rob’s new documentary film Revolution was in production. It was like a dream come true. I went to Rob’s house in downtown Toronto every day and I learned working behind the scenes on Revolution alongside Rob and his assistant director, Jen Zabawa. I helped with research, reaching out to environmental experts and booking Rob’s interviews. We promoted Director Natalie Lucier fundraising events and pushed for Toronto to ban the shark fin trade with the filming on location in Fin Free campaign. Rob also had started United Conservationists to inspire Broughton organizations to work together to preserve and care for our planet. I helped to Archipelago, BC, promote United Conservationists and Revolution events on social media Canada including posting to the Sharkwater and Revolution social media pages. After my internship, I attended a Revolution work weekend and rough cut screening at Rob’s cottage in Muskoka. Rob was very thoughtful and open to honest feedback on the film and the direction that it was taking. He was always looking for ways to improve and make his work the best “They (the orcas) don’t that it could be. forget. They will I have always been fascinated with the orcas. I applied to volunteer at Orca Lab for the summer of 2012 as a follow you to the land filmmaker to document the whales in their natural habitat. and follow you in your Once accepted I realized this was my opportunity to make a film with the orcas taking centre stage. I was so excited to dreams. They won’t let finally be in a place where I could live amongst orcas and you go.” be with them in the wild. I realized it was where I always WAYNE ALFRED IN TO THE ORCAS, WITH To the Orcas, with Love !4 Press Kit January 31, 2019 wanted to be. I wanted to make a film that was going to share in the world of the killer whales and raise awareness of their importance on our planet. Killer whales are facing a lot of challenges in our ever changing planet. I knew about a lot of the issues from about what is happening with the orcas from my own research but being there to witness it was much different. Seeing how many boats are on the water each day tracking them down is shocking and Paul Spong helped me appreciate orcas as acoustic creatures and that boat noise and proximity disturbs them. Talking with Alexandra Morton about sea lice and learning about the impact of farmed salmon on wild salmon; the primary food source of the resident killer whales was eye-opening. Our oceans are changing because of human impact and it was shocking to learn about some of the other things affecting the orcas health and wellbeing that are addressed in the film; ocean acidification, dead zones and plastic pollution. Being among the whales on the Johnstone strait was heaven on earth for me. Waking up to the morning mist and the sun peeking through the clouds was mystical. Hearing whale blows was calming and amazing and just living in the moment without worry of the daily stresses of my life back home in Ontario. I was living in a hut with nature surrounding me. At night, waiting for the moon to rise and cast a glowing light over everything was a magical experience that is hard to put into words. I am thankful for the experience of going there and it has changed my perspective about what is important in my own life. Interviews for the film were done one-on-one in a very intimate atmosphere. I think that listening to the stories feels more personal, like the interviewee’s are speaking right to you. There is a closeness there and it is very personal. I try to bring viewers on a journey that is hopeful, without getting overwhelmed about the challenges we face. My biggest concern, is that people need to realize that as humans we are deeply connected with mother earth and the plants and animals that live among us. We are all connected to each other in one way or another and we must respect that. What we do to nature, we do to ourselves. I learned a lot about myself while making this film. I learned about being patient with myself and with others. Thinking back on the making of this film, I think I would not have decided to make a documentary film about the orcas, without the inspiration and support of Rob Stewart. He really taught me how to dream big and to go after my dreams. He cared so much and really wanted to see me succeed as a filmmaker, and also making this film the best that it could be. I will be forever grateful to have met and learned from Rob and it is a gift to have him in “To the Orcas with Love”. My hope is that his messages will continue to inspire others to care for our planet. with Love, Natalie To the Orcas, with Love !5 Press Kit January 31, 2019 Production Notes Issues affecting Orca whales impress upon viewers that everything is connected. Humans have responsibilities, as the top predator on the planet to steward the natural resource commons – those resources depended upon by many life forms for survival. The choices we make not only affect other life forms, but ensure our own survival as a species. Viewers learn about the history of our relationship with orcas and how humans moved from hating and fearing these ‘monsters’ to loving them, and wanting to be near them. The killer whales on the British Columbia coast are threatened and endangered. Their habitat is changing and their well-being is at risk because of pollution, boat traffic, global warming and human interference. Hear from Canadian Environmentalist, CBC Broadcaster and scientist, David Suzuki, biologist and director of Sharkwater (2006), Rob Stewart, whale researchers including Alexandra Morton, native elders, artists and other locals who have personal stories to share about their connection to these whales; as well as my own personal connection to the whales during the time that I lived in a hut on the ocean in very close proximity to them during the summer of 2012. This film introduces viewers to human-caused negative impacts on orcas and other marine life including: ocean noise, plastics in the ocean, hazards of farmed salmon in ocean waters, climate change and ocean acidification, and impacts of human presence in areas killer whales depend on for food. When we restore the wild in nature and in our lives, we’ll become re-enchanted with the world, dissolving false borders between ourselves and nature. Healing of society goes hand in hand with restoring our connection to nature and one another. We are part of nature, so what we do to restore the wildness, naturalness in nature we also do for ourselves. Viewers who heed the call of Rob Stewart for change will embrace the idea that it’s time we rise up and create the world we dream for ourselves. • Read about the origins of the film – July 5, 2012 https://www.muskokaregion.com/whatson-story/3575516-woman-embarks-on-a-whale-of-an- adventure/ • David Suzuki sits down with the filmmaker – Nov 11, 2016 https://www.muskokaregion.com/whatson-story/6960079-david-suzuki-talks-orcas-with- muskoka-documentary-filmmaker/ To the Orcas, with Love !6 Press Kit January 31, 2019 Film Credits To the Orcas with Love" A Natalie Lucier Production Directed by: Natalie Lucier Executive Producers: Todd Lucier & Martha Lucier Written and Produced by: Natalie Lucier & Todd Lucier Editor: Jeremy Munce (Huntsville, ON) Supervising Sound Editor: Stephen Barden, M.P.S.E.